Reviewed by Sally Kruger aka "Readingjunky" for TeensReadToo.com
They've been friends forever, but now they are in sixth grade and something is going wrong.
This is the story of many friendships. Anyone who has felt their best friend drifting away will appreciate THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS.
Kate and Marylin considered each other BFFs, but as sixth grade begins, their friendship is on a downhill slide. First there's Flannery, the worldly seventh grader who moves in down the street. Flannery mysteriously chooses Marylin over Kate, and the slide begins. Marylin and Flannery refuse to speak to Kate and hurl nasty insults her way practically every day.
Eventually, Flannery starts hanging out with eighth grade girls and leaves Marylin wondering what happened. It seems like the perfect time for Kate to renew their friendship, but Marylin tries out for and makes the cheerleading squad, and those new friends are just as mean as Flannery. They claim they don't have time for Kate, who isn't allowed to use makeup and prefers basketball to cheerleading.
Below the surface of the girls' new acquaintances, both spend time puzzling over how things have gotten so out of control. They both consider confronting the difficult topic, but neither wants to risk rejection.
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS offers middle grade readers a chance to experience a crumbling friendship that might very well be like experiences of their very own. This book examines the idea that we often know the right thing to do, but we don't have the courage to take a step in that direction.
They've been friends forever, but now they are in sixth grade and something is going wrong.
This is the story of many friendships. Anyone who has felt their best friend drifting away will appreciate THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS.
Kate and Marylin considered each other BFFs, but as sixth grade begins, their friendship is on a downhill slide. First there's Flannery, the worldly seventh grader who moves in down the street. Flannery mysteriously chooses Marylin over Kate, and the slide begins. Marylin and Flannery refuse to speak to Kate and hurl nasty insults her way practically every day.
Eventually, Flannery starts hanging out with eighth grade girls and leaves Marylin wondering what happened. It seems like the perfect time for Kate to renew their friendship, but Marylin tries out for and makes the cheerleading squad, and those new friends are just as mean as Flannery. They claim they don't have time for Kate, who isn't allowed to use makeup and prefers basketball to cheerleading.
Below the surface of the girls' new acquaintances, both spend time puzzling over how things have gotten so out of control. They both consider confronting the difficult topic, but neither wants to risk rejection.
THE SECRET LANGUAGE OF GIRLS offers middle grade readers a chance to experience a crumbling friendship that might very well be like experiences of their very own. This book examines the idea that we often know the right thing to do, but we don't have the courage to take a step in that direction.
